Verve: Revue Artistique et Littéraire. Vol. VI, Nos. 21 et 22
Paris: Éditions de la Revue Verve, 1948. 1st Edition. Folio, publisher's paperboards, original color lithographed attached overwraps, original glassine dust jacket.
1948 double issue of Greek publisher and collector Tériade’s quarterly journal, devoted to the work of influential French painter Matisse. Born on the island of Lesbos as Efstratios Eleftheriades, Tériade moved to Paris in 1915 to study law but soon abandoned his studies to immerse himself in the French art scene. He worked as an art critic and co-directed other avant-garde journals such as Minotaure before establishing Verve in 1937, with the intention being "the most beautiful magazine in the world." Each issue was dedicated to a singe artist, with numbers devoted to the likes of Picasso, Chagall, Braque, and Miró, with original lithographs printed by the masters of Mourlot Studios and texts by writers of the time including Joyce, Hemingway, Camus, Sartre, and Malraux. Verve released 38 issues across ten volumes before folding in 1960 as Tériade shifted his focus to produce lavish artist books. Tériade’s collaborations with Matisse were particularly legendary, with the artist being a principal contributor since the first issue, when he designed the inaugural cover. Additionally, Tériade allowed the wheelchair-bound Matisse to "paint with scissors" by experimenting with the printer’s pre-dyed gouache papers. This process led to Jazz (1947), Matisse's lively and legendary portfolio of cutouts. This landmark double issue contains work Matisse created in Vence, France, between 1944 and '48 with original color wraps, a lithograph frontispiece, and over sixty color and black-and-white plates, including floral decorations and botanical linework he sketched in his garden, a source of inspiration for many of his cut-outs. Light edgewear to attached wraps and glassine dust jacket. Very good. Item #12978
$400.00